Sergeant Kirk or Sgt. Kirk () is the main character of the Western comics series of the same title by Italy comic book creator Hugo Pratt and Argentina author Héctor Germán Oesterheld.[ Oesterheld biography on Dan Dare]
Publication history
The series, created in Argentina during the Golden Age of Argentine Comics, was first published in issue 225 of the weekly comics magazine
Misterix on January 9, 1953.
The idea was to make
Western comics with
Hugo Pratt, a rising star at the moment. Oesterheld initially tried to make a Sergeant set in the times of colonial Argentina, but it was rejected as it would not be profitable. Seeking documentation about the history of the United States' relation with the native Americans he read about the Wounded Knee Massacre, and used it as a starting point for his stories. Similarly to revisionist Western, he tried to avoid the standard portrayal of the cowboy as a flawless hero, and made him instead a man trying to make amends for the killing of natives.
Sargento Kirk continued its run in Misterix until issue 475 on December 20, 1957, when Oesterheld's own publishing house Editorial Frontera was established, and the series resumed in the Frontera magazines Frontera Extra and Hora Cero Suplemento Semanal.
Synopsis
Sergeant Kirk is a former soldier of the American Civil War who goes on to serve in the post-war
Wild West. Forced to participate in a massacre of American Indians by the U.S. Army, Kirk deserts and devotes himself to defending the Indians.
An essentially noble man, Kirk treats even his enemies with tolerance and
humanitarianism.
Among Kirk's companions appearing in the series are "El Corto", Dr. Forbes and the Native American boy, Maha.
Magazine
Sergeant Kirk () was chosen as the name of the
Comics anthology Pratt launched in Italy in July 1967 by publisher
Florenzo Ivaldi (Ivaldi Editore). This carried showcased work from the Argentine period, as well as the series
Luck Star O'Hara,
Gli Scorpioni del Deserto, and the first publication of
Corto Maltese in the story
Una Ballata del Mare Salato.
The magazine maintained regular distribution until December 1969 and was issued sporadically during the 1970s.
Notes
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